Review: Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

Happy New Year, y'all! How are you guys all feeling today? Still waking up from the shenanigans of the night before? Hitting the ground running by going to the gym? Filled with determination to carry out the resolutions you discussed with others while inebriated the night before? I spent it in the best way I could have - with my other half, and the cat, just relaxing and seeing in the new year with my favourite beings. There's nothing quite like starting the year strong with something good, and for the blog, that means we're talking about one of my favourite categories of skincare - cleansing oils! 

 

I love these little hard workers - doing all the heavy lifting for me while I'm actually being lazy by not taking the time to remove the bulk of my makeup and dirt from the day prior to hopping into the shower to wash it all off! For anyone who hasn't ever tried a cleansing oil, I highly recommend adding it to your routine. It's great for double cleansing, and I love it for when I'm feeling particularly lazy or time poor - it's like an additional step that doesn't require too much work. I thought I'd treat myself to a luxe little something from Bobbi Brown as a way to wrap up 2025, and chose the Soothing Cleansing Oil, just because it sounded gorgeous.

 

This promises to even skin tone, while firming, plumping, hydrating, nourishing and smoothing the face. It's said to have an 'oil-rich yet water-light feel', which is a bit of a mouthful, but accurately sums up how it is on my skin. This comes packaged in a clear bottle with a pump that doesn't deliver a large amount with each push, but that's probably not a bad thing, considering that this retails for $94 for 200ml of product. I find about 6 pumps to be enough for my skin, and like all cleansing oils, apply this to your dry skin and massage it into the face thoroughly before emulsifying it with water, and working it into the skin in circular motions while you do so, then washing it off.

 

The cleansing oil has several key ingredients, namely meadowfoam see oil, which is steeped in long chain fatty acids and vitamin E that are meant to help with enhancing the skin barrier, locking in moisture to prevent the skin from getting dehydrated, as well as balancing sebum production. There's also tamanu oil, which acts as an anti-inflammatory that's supposed to repair skin barrier, encourage wound healing and support tissue regeneration. It also has tsubaki oil and jojoba oil, which are great for supporting the skin barrier, healing and soothing the skin, while also moisturising it. There are also other oils in the formula, such as kukui nut, sunflower seed and olive oils to provide nourishment to the skin.

 

I love that this has quite a light formula, and it doesn't feel like I'm smothering my skin in oil when I apply it. I take special care to focus this around my lashes, working it between the hairs to ensure that my mascara comes off at the end of the day, and also massaging it into particularly stubborn makeup areas. Despite my best efforts, however, I do find myself with a bit of panda eyes, even after a solid 2 minutes of working it into my skin. Where it does shine is at removing the makeup on my face, even around the hairline. I also appreciate that this helps to keep my skin from drying out, and I love this, particularly in slightly cooler weather, like Spring. I don't think it stands up against tough makeup particularly well, sadly, but it is great for more superficial products, and it's gentle on my skin. It's available where Bobbi Brown can be found, including Mecca and Adore Beauty. Have you tried this before?